Hell in the Holy Land

World War I in the Middle East

David R. Woodward

Publication Year: 2014

In the modern popular imagination, the British Army's campaign in the Middle East during World War I is considered somehow less brutal than the fighting on European battlefields. A romantic view of this conflict has been further encouraged by such films as Lawrence of Arabia and The Light Horsemen. In Hell in the Holy Land, David R. Woodward uses graphic eyewitness accounts from the diaries, letters, and memoirs of British soldiers who fought in that war to describe in rigorous detail the genuine experience of the fighting and dying in Egypt and Palestine. The massive flow of troops and equipment to Egypt eventually made that country host to the largest British military base outside of Britain and France. Though many soldiers found the atmosphere in Cairo exotic, the desert countryside made the fundamentals of fighting and troop maintenance extremely difficult. The intense heat frequently sickened soldiers, and unruly camels were the only practical means of transport across the soft sands of the Sinai. The constant shortage of potable water was a persistent problem for the troops; one soldier recalled, "It is impossible to realize the depth a man will sink to endeavor to appease the terrible horror of thirst." The voices of these British soldiers offer a forgotten perspective of the Great War, describing not only the physical and psychological toll of combat but the daily struggles of soldiers who were stationed in an unfamiliar environment that often proved just as antagonistic as the enemy. A soldier of the Dorset Yeomanry, stationed in Egypt, wrote: "There are three sounds in Egypt which never cease -- the creaking of the waterwheels, the song of the frogs, and the buzz of flies.... Letter writing is an impossibility in the evening, for as soon as the sun goes down, if a lamp is lighted, the air all round is thick with little grey sand-flies which bite disgustingly." Using archival records, many from the Imperial War Museum in London, England, Woodward paints a vivid picture of the mayhem, terror, boredom, filth, and sacrifice that marked the daily life of British soldiers in the Middle East. In telling the story of these soldiers, Woodward provides a personal history of a campaign that laid the groundwork for the continuing turmoil in the Middle East.

Cover

Title Page, Copyright Page

Contents

List of Maps

List of Abbreviations

Preface

The British soldiers in Egypt and Palestine whose own words constitute
a large part of this book fought in a theater very different from France
and Flanders. The Egyptian Expeditionary Force, advancing some 500
miles from the Suez Canal to Aleppo, marched in the footprints of ancient...

Acknowledgments

Writing history has always been a collective effort for me, and I owe a
great debt to Marshall University and its faculty and staff members, who
have afforded me support. The university provided assistance in many
ways: a summer research grant, a reduced teaching load for several semesters,...

1. Eastward Bound

In September 1915, Private A. S. Benbow experienced perhaps the most
exciting day of his young life. He had worked for London Assurance in
Pall Mall before his Yeomanry unit had been mobilized. Marching
through the streets of Liverpool, he was on his way to a foreign land. His...

2. Land of the Pharaohs

The massive flow of troops and equipment to Egypt eventually made
that country the greatest British military base outside of Britain and
France. Before 1916, however, the actual defense of the Empires lifeline,
the Suez Canal, depended almost entirely on Indian troops. The original...

3. Clearing the Sinai

On Christmas Day 1916, with British troops occupying El Arish, Brigadier
General Guy Payan Dawnay described the accomplishments of the
Eastern Force, of which he was chief of staff: "It really has been an extraordinary
'campaign,' this one in Sinai," he wrote his wife.
It necessitated the fitting out of much the biggest desert column that there has..

4. Johnny Turk Triumphant

In late March 1917 the Eastern Force was on the move, advancing in
stages along the coastal road toward Gaza, whose very name meant fortress.
The infantry began its march as darkness approached to avoid the
prying eyes of Turkish aircraft. "The sensations of the march were rather...

5. "Bloody Bull's Loose"

As the Eastern Force butted its head against the Gaza defenses in April,
General Sir Edmund Allenby's Third Army found itself in a similarly
futile operation on the western front. The Battle of Arras had gotten off
to a promising start with the Canadians capturing Vimy Ridge. For a...

6. Breakout

On October 30, Blunt of the Civil Service Rifles and Calcutt of the
Queens Westminster Rifles, 179th Brigade, 60th Division, prepared for
the final approach march to Beersheba. Their route took them across a
wilderness of bare, rocky hills and numerous wadis. Allenby wanted the...

7. Relentless Pursuit

The Turks were driven into the open and on the run, with columns of
Turkish infantry and transport streaming northward to escape capture.
The decisive moment had arrived for Allenby's enormous mounted
force, considered the strength of his army. Never before, in fact, had a...

8. Sacred Soil

With Junction Station in the hands of the British, the Turks lost their
railway connection to Jerusalem. The Turkish 7th Army retired into the
hills around Jerusalem, and the Turkish 8th Army retreated northward
along the coastal plain toward Jaffa. Faced with mounting logistical...

9. Changing Priorities

If Lloyd George had his way, the Middle East would become the focus of
Britain's military effort in 1918. His agile mind saw political as well as
military advantages in giving priority to Allenby's forces. With Russia
faltering and with France in a defensive mood after its army mutinied,...

10. Jordan Valley

On April 1,1918, Allenby described the impact of the German March 21
offensive to the military correspondent for the Daily Telegraph, Captain
C. W. Battine: "Here, I have raided the Hedjaz railway, 40 miles East of
Jordan, & have done much damage but my little show dwindles now into...

11. Megiddo

Megiddo is located on the southern end of the Plain of Esdraelon, where
it commands the roads connecting Palestine with Syria. This ancient settlement
has been the scene of many battles. It is also the site of Armageddon,
which, according to the Book of Revelation, is where the final battle...

Conclusion

It is the rash person indeed who offers sweeping generalizations about
the experiences of British soldiers serving in the Great War. Each soldier
reacted in his own and different way to the routine of army life, his theater
of operations, and combat. Having said this, it is still possible to...

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